Sonia Gandhi Meets Lalu Prasad Yadav In Delhi; Tejashwi Recalls UPA Ties

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi met Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav at her daughter Misa Bharti’s residence in Delhi on Monday to inquire about his health. The 78-year-old RJD leader is being treated at AIIMS in Delhi. He had recently been moved to Delhi for specialised medical consultations after receiving treatment and remaining under observation at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna.

Lalu Yadav’s younger son, Tejashwi Yadav, was also in the room when the leaders met. Taking to X, Tejashwi recalled the political ties between Sonia Gandhi and his father during the United Progressive Alliance government from 2004 to 2014.

UPA-Era Ties

Tejashwi linked the meeting to the long political relationship between Sonia Gandhi and his father during the United Progressive Alliance government from 2004 to 2014. He also revisited that period in a post on social media.

He mentioned Sonia Gandhi’s current role as chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party. In the post, he cited welfare measures from that time for farmers, young people, soldiers and the wider public, along with laws such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the Right to Education (RTE) Act and the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

On X, Tejashwi wrote while sharing pictures, “This meeting between the two most experienced leaders of the country was familial and heartfelt. Both have stood firmly together in each other’s joys and sorrows for a long time," he tweeted while sharing the pics.

Bihar Development Claims

Lalu Prasad also put out a separate post recalling the UPA government’s welfare measures. He said the Manmohan Singh-led government had earmarked more than Rs 1.45 lakh crore for Bihar’s development.

INDIA Bloc Rally

Tejashwi also spoke at the INDIA bloc’s rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, saying opposition parties would keep up their campaign against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

“We will not win this battle unless we stand united. We did gather yesterday, but that was not the final event. We are not the kind of people who will sit quietly until action is taken against Gyanesh Kumar," he said.

Responding to BJP criticism of the rally, Tejashwi asked why the ruling party was trying to paint it as a failure. “Why are they so nervous? If the rally had been a flop, why would there be any need to prove it was a flop? They know that there is unease and turmoil. They are troubled and disappointed because their theft has been exposed," he said.